The Root of Jealousy
by DigitalAlice
Summary: Craig experiences jealousy and worries about his relationship. NOTE: Want me to email you when I post NSFW fics on the other site I use? Please PM me your email address (use spaces in it otherwise this site will sabotage the email so I can't see it). I'll link you via email when I post those stories. Thank you for your kind reviews, I really don't deserve them ;-;


"How quickly jealous I become of the wind when it, and not I, gets the privilege of properly messing up your hair." - Tyler Knott Gregson

* * *

Craig didn't want to admit it, but he was lonely.

He'd spent several weeks coming up with a word for the feeling, and that was the one he settled on. It's not like he was expecting Tweek to be socially awkward forever. He was glad that his boyfriend was getting more confident and expanding his social circle. But still…

Craig looked over at Tweek, who was sitting surrounded by girls, with Bebe at the helm. He watched as Tweek chatted animatedly and laughed. He wasn't even twitching very much. Craig liked being the only one that could make Tweek calm. How long would it be before he stopped twitching altogether, and became confident enough to be on his own? Confident enough to leave Craig?

'Stop sulking,' Clyde said as he copied notes down from the board.

'I'm not sulking,' Craig huffed.

'Dude, you're broodier than Edward Cullen right now.'

Craig flipped Clyde off without a word.

'What is your problem?'

'I just don't get why he doesn't hang with us much anymore,' Craig said, slouching down in his seat and scowling as the girls giggled at something Tweek said. Bebe slapped Tweek on the arm playfully and Craig's eyes narrowed. Back off, Bebe.

'Chicks dig gay guys.' Clyde scribbled down some more bullet points as he spoke. 'It's a fact of the female universe, right between _don't ask a girl how old she is_ and _don't assume she's pregnant because she's probably just fat_.'

'Well they aren't swarming around me,' Craig said.

'That's because you're the… whatever it is… the one in charge. If a girl comes up to you and asks what you think of her hair, what would you say?'

'I don't know,' Craig said, pouting in Tweek's direction. 'I wouldn't really care.'

'There you go,' Clyde confirmed. 'Tweek is like, the _gay_ one out of you two. They'll talk to him about hair and make-up and boys and he'll listen because…' Clyde shrugged.

'Because he's Tweek, and he's nice like that,' Craig finished, and Clyde nodded.

Craig tried to focus on his work. But every time he heard Bebe laugh his head would snap up to look. Craig hadn't even voiced his worst fear, because he didn't want Clyde to laugh at him. But what if being around the prettiest and most popular girl in school made Tweek realise he liked girls again? What if he remembered how they'd been practically forced together to start with, and now that girls liked him, he craved something more… normal?

' _Stop_ sulking,' Clyde complained.

'Okay!' Craig said. 'Okay.'

He held his textbook up close to his face. He wasn't the anxious one in their relationship. He wasn't insecure and he wasn't jealous. He wasn't.

'Craig…' Clyde gave him a sideways glance.

'I'm focusing,' Craig snapped.

'Really? Because your textbook is upside down.'

'Oh.'

When the bell rang for lunch, Tweek bounded up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

'I'm going to sit with Bebe and the girls today, okay?' he said, smiling up at him.

'Sure.'

The smile faded from Tweek's face.

'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' Craig said quietly, ignoring the look he was getting from Clyde. 'I'm just glad you managed to tear yourself away for long enough to tell me.'

Clyde and Token both inhaled sharply at the moody remark, turning away and pretending they weren't listening. Tweek took Craig's hand and pulled him aside.

'What's up with you?'

'I don't want you to hang out with them anymore.' Craig blinked in surprise at his own statement. That wasn't what he meant to say, but now that he said it, he realised how much he meant it. But Tweek took a step back from him with a frown.

'Why not? They're my friends.'

'No,' Craig argued, 'Token and Clyde and Stan and Kyle… and me. We're your friends.'

'I can't be friends with other people too?'

Tweek was speaking calmly but there was a hurt look in his eyes. Craig hung his head in defeat.

'I guess.'

'Craig,' Tweek murmured, stepping close to him again. 'What's wrong?'

How could he say anything without seeming like he didn't trust Tweek? How could he admit to any insecurity? He wanted Tweek to be confident and happy and liked by everyone. He wanted the whole world to see Tweek the way that he did, adorable and funny and loveable. But at the same time, he _didn't_ want that. He wanted to hide Tweek away and not share him with anyone. He wanted to be the only person Tweek shared secrets with and felt calm around. And it drove him crazy to think that Tweek didn't need him as much anymore.

How could he say all of that?

'Nothing,' Craig said, brushing Tweek away. 'Go have your lunch.'

Tweek tried to say something else but Craig didn't want to hear it. He returned to his friends and ate his lunch in silence. He saw some girl whose name he didn't even know take fries from Tweek's plate. He watched Tweek and Bebe talking, and swore at one point Bebe stole a glance in his direction. She was already his confidante.

He was losing Tweek.

Normally Tweek would come up to him in the small moments of the day; after lunch, between classes, or during any spare moment he'd run up to Craig to kiss him and say hi. But Tweek didn't approach him the rest of the day, and the entire evening at home Craig didn't receive a single text.

He had already lost Tweek. He could feel it.

 _Chicks dig gay guys_.

Well Tweek was _his_ gay guy. Bebe could fuck off.

When his alarm clock hit 2am and he still couldn't sleep, he knew he was going to go crazy from worry if he didn't do something. He needed closure. Was his relationship ending? Was Tweek bored of him? He pulled his jacket on over his PJs and slipped on his shoes, then tiptoed out of the house.

The town at night would still be awake, with late-night stores and people out drinking. But here in the sub-urban streets it was quiet and peaceful. Craig's footsteps seemed to echo loudly, and each time a twig snapped in the breeze Craig jumped, aware he shouldn't be out this late.

He realised with a small smile that this was what Tweek did every time the blonde turned up in his room in the early hours of the morning. He would go to that much trouble to come to him for advice or comfort. And yet he was brave enough to do this part all by himself to make it happen.

Craig loved that damn boy.

Only when he made it to Tweek's house did he realise that he didn't have a key to get in. He took his phone from his pocket and typed in a text:

 _Are you awake?_

He waited for a reply, but didn't see any lights on in the house, including Tweek's room. So Craig hunted around in the yard for some tiny pebbles, and as gently as possible began to fling them up at Tweek's window. They first few missed, but after that he got the trick down.

Tweek's window opened and a sleepy face peered out.

'Craig…?' he whispered, rubbing his face.

'Can I come in?'

If he was refused after all the times he'd been shaken awake in the middle of the night by Tweek, he wasn't going to be happy. But the window shut again, and after a minute the light in the hall switched on and the front door opened. Tweek ushered him in.

His hair was even messier than normal, and he squinted against the light. He was so damn cute.

Tweek shut the door and Craig followed him upstairs into his bedroom. Craig kicked off his shoes and slipped off his jacket, following Tweek to his bed and sliding in with him. He was expecting a barrage of questions about why he was there or about their run-in at school, but Tweek didn't say anything. He wrapped his arms around Craig's waist and snuggled close with a sleepy sigh.

'You didn't text me,' Craig said after a moment.

'No,' Tweek murmured. 'You like to have space when you're angry.'

'I wasn't angry.'

'What were you then?'

Craig stayed perfectly still in the dark, not wanting to speak the answer, but knowing that he came here to be honest.

'Jealous.'

He felt Tweek tense up, and the blonde leaned to prop himself up on his elbow, barely visible by the moonlight coming in through the window.

'Of Bebe?'

'I guess,' Craig said quietly. 'And the rest of them. I used to be the only one you could be calm around. And now you don't want to sit with me at lunch or in class and you're going to confide in them more than me, and you're going to realise you like girls again and-'

'Woah,' Tweek said, cutting him off. 'Nuh uh.'

Craig laid there in silence, folding his arms defensively.

'Craig, I love you,' Tweek said. 'Have you forgotten that?'

'Have you?'

He bit his lip at his own harsh reply. If he was going to be kicked out, this was going to be the moment.

'No,' Tweek said, cuddling up to him again. Tweek's breath was warm against his neck. 'I haven't. You don't need to feel threatened by them. I only really ever talk about you, and mostly they just talk about shoes.'

'Shoes?'

'It's a girl thing, I think,' Tweek said with a smile. 'But at this rate I'll be able to write a book about the pros and cons of wearing heels.'

He felt Tweek's hands snake under his shirt, his fingers tracing circles on his waist. He'd never been in Tweek's bed before. Tweek was usually the one freaking out and making visits. This was the first time he was the one who couldn't cope with his thoughts, and it terrified him.

'I don't like girls,' Tweek said quietly. 'I just like you. And you're still the only person who can make me stop thinking. Even around Bebe and Wendy and Heidi, my brain is going so fast. And when I'm with you, like right now, everything in my head just goes quiet. Only you will ever be able to do that.'

'You're just trying to make me feel better,' Craig pouted.

'I'm trying to make you feel better with the truth,' Tweek replied. 'Look, I mostly started sitting with them so I didn't drive you crazy being around you all the time. But I'll start hanging out with you guys more again, okay? And tomorrow, why don't we both have lunch with the girls?'

'Really?'

'Really,' Tweek said, kissing Craig's neck. 'You'll see it's not as interesting as you've been imagining it to be, and you'll see there's nothing to worry about.'

'Okay.'

Craig brought his arms up to hug Tweek back, breathing in the soft scent of coffee in his hair.

'So you're not going to leave me?' Craig asked finally, letting sleep start to tug at his consciousness.

'No,' Tweek whispered. 'But for what it's worth, it's fun to see you be the insecure one, for once.'


End file.
